More than 6,500 people nationwide have sent in their views on the future of children’s heart services in England.

Public consultation on plans which could see surgery for children born with heart defects stopped at Glenfield Hospital closed at a minute to midnight yesterday.

Campaigners, including MPs, patients and parents, have vowed to continue to fight to keep the centre open.

The hospital has invited NHS officials who have not yet seen the service first-hand to visit before any decision is made.

The children's intensive care cardiac unit at Glenfield Hospital

The consultation began in February following an NHS England announcement last year that surgery should stop at Glenfield as it was not meeting new standards and was unlikely to do so in the future.

Alison Poole, special projects manager at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said: “We would like to thank everyone who has taken part in the consultation.

“We believe a large number of the responses will have come from the East Midlands.

“The consultation has not been an easy process. It has gone on longer due to elections and we still have no clarity on how long the next stage of the process is going to take or the steps before a final decision.”

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Ms Poole said managers have not yet had a response to a detailed plan on how they expect to reach the new standards which was submitted on May 3.

She said the hospital will be inviting John Stewart, recently appointed acting director of specialised commissioning at NHS England, and any other people who have not been to the centre, to visit before they make any decision.

Leicester West MP Liz Kendall has sent a letter signed by 23 East Midlands MPs to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens urging them to clarify what will happen next and who will make the decision on its future.